Liverpool banter 8

12 Feb 2026 18:47:39
Just watch on prime video on YouTube - when Liverpools kids beat Chelsea

And you will realise that slot has many qualities but a big thing he isn't doing is inspiring the younger players to help the team

And he's waiting for high quality we don't have only transfers could do that which is not right now.

13 Feb 2026 01:30:45
Apart from Nyoni, Rio, and Nallo, who have all played recently.

13 Feb 2026 08:25:44
Never let the truth get in the way, WDW.

13 Feb 2026 09:04:01
WDW - I am glad you named those three. Do you think they have been given a fair opportunity in the league this season? The League Cup is not an equivalent competition. Rio, maybe at the beginning of the season, when he accumulated most of his minutes, before Gakpo "had" to play 90+ every game.

The other two have been used appallingly. Beyond them? And last season?

13 Feb 2026 09:58:35
WDW, if Klopp was still here, a lot more youngsters would have gotten chances, for sure. Whether they make it here in the long term is something else, but they would have definitely gotten chances. Arne Slot is not interested, nor does he care about any of this. That much is clear.

12 Feb 2026 16:34:18
It seems obvious what we're lacking is pace and power in our wide forwards (wingers) and a dynamic player to break up the play in midfield.
Do you have any ideas of players fitting these attributes that we're currently linked to?

12 Feb 2026 17:05:29
How do you break down a low block? I don't know, it's tricky, and you need great technical players and lethal finishers. It's crucial you get an early goal. Or You can do what Klopp did and - to use an NFL term - blitz the opposition as soon as their attack breaks down. Basically, you have to transition so rapidly and attack them so intensely that they don't have a chance to get the low block organised.

Take the low block out of it by overwhelming them. Power and pace from wide would help, but it needs to be coupled with very rapid transition between defence and attack. Something we're not doing under Arne Slot.

12 Feb 2026 17:30:28
Even if they get the low block organized, Ron, you should be able to hammer it into submission. This keep patient BS is what it thrives at. You go at it, and go at it, and go at it until it just cracks.

We are often too passive, waiting for openings that never come, so ultimately we just end up wasting time and opportunities. We are only somewhat better of late, but still a long way to go.

12 Feb 2026 17:34:34
Pacey wide men who can dribble will solve the vast majority of our problems imo. Teams press us high now because they don't fear the ball over the top anymore. And our current wingers (or lack of) are incapable of spamming take-ons to upset a fixed low block. Salah, Gakpo, Isak, Hugo are all players designed to finish the move. Salah and Gakpo benefited from Diaz causing hassle, committing defenders, pulling wide, running in behind, etc, while Salah and Gakpo capitalise on the bit of space that opens up as a result. Salah benefited from Mane doing the same. Haaland benefits from Doku, Semenyo, Cherki doing that.

Haaland would struggle next to Mo and Gakpo, and vice versa. Balance. We need to build around Hugo, Isak, Flo now. All 3 will be further unlocked by fast dribblers. The thing is, while i hope we target super elite wide men like Olise (dream Mo replacement) or a Kvaradona (the one that got away), i think even "very good" will be enough as long as they have the right attributes. I think we have so much creativity from Flo and so much quality in Isak/Hugo that any two from the likes of Diomande, Barcola, Yildiz, Gordon, Williams, Adeyemi, Minteh would suffice.

12 Feb 2026 17:43:07
Reason why LFC are where they are is just a lack of quality in specific areas. Yes, we do need fast wingers who are direct and cause defences so much problems, as we kinda don't have that anymore. We do need Isak badly to finish all these chances we create.

And we need 3 defenders and a defensive minded midfielder, tackler, etc, etc. And hardly any sales. But if we do this one in one out crap, then it's over for years.

12 Feb 2026 17:48:26
The cure for that imo is bringing on a central progressive passer like Adam Wharton, who has already shown in the league how good he is at setting tempo, and then going in and buying pace in wide areas. Also, we do that and we further unlock Wirtz, who at times is having to drop deeper to pick up the ball, so by the time he gets near the box he isn't as explosive.

Once teams know you have dangerous runners in behind, they often step back 5 yards, which also invites chances for our forward players. Gakpo is a ball-to-feet winger, and at his age Salah has now become similar, which in turn can leave our striker, often Ekitike, isolated.

12 Feb 2026 17:49:26
Yan Diomande is the winger we seem to want, if we believe the rumours. Big fee needed, though. Other wingers linked are Malick Fofana, Yankubah Minteh, and the more unlikely Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise. I like the look of Matheus Mane at Wolves, like many other clubs. If rumours are to be believed, we are front runners for Adam Wharton. He's not a DM, but he would offer a lot more in terms of ball progression than Macca or Gravy do. Angelo Stiller is a similar profile, but maybe a little more mobile. We are amongst a whole load of clubs that like Lille's DM, Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The same goes for Kees Smit, although he's more box to box. I haven't seen any links with Carlos Baleba or Elliott Anderson, but I am sure they are liked. Lamine Camara and Lucien Agoume are a couple of alternatives, although only the latter is a true DM. A new name that was mentioned in the last couple of days is Nordsjaelland's Caleb Yirenki. Finally, there's a very Rodri-like kid at Stuttgart called Chema Andres. Although I am sure Real will be looking to take him back.

12 Feb 2026 18:04:19
Florian Wirtz, that's how you break a low block. ?

12 Feb 2026 18:23:07
We've seen perfectly how a 4/3/3 operates under prime Klopp and, again, Slot, in the first half of last season. Our squad isn't built for that formation anymore. It lacks any direct speed. If the plan was to continue to play 4/3/3, we should've replaced Luis Diaz in summer and again in Jan.

12 Feb 2026 18:44:18
We have a head coach on £6 million per season, so should he not have a plan to beat the low block instead of moaning about the low block? Have a plan A, B, C in place. After all, that is what he is being paid for. YNWA.

12 Feb 2026 19:36:19
I feel our quick counter attack is truly finished. This was a massive part of our style and game, and made us dangerous. It made others fear us also, imo.

12 Feb 2026 19:55:07
A masterclass in coaching ideas. Thank you all.

13 Feb 2026 10:04:16
You can be as patient as you want, but if you are unable to make the oppo. defence think, the low block will remain intact for the whole game. As Ron said, Klopp played a way that made the oppo. team's defence think. His tactics, up-tempo and intensity, made them stay on their toes with their heads on a swivel, and our guys would smother them a bit like a python slowly wrapping its coils around its prey and then, gradually start squeezing.

And before the oppo. knew it, teams began to choke and then, we lay them out. Whereas the way Arne Slot plays lulls us all to sleep rather than make the oppo. low block think and react.

13 Feb 2026 12:57:54
Another key thing for breaking down the low block is making the most of our set pieces. Football is changing, teams are more efficient with them, while we remain awful.

12 Feb 2026 15:42:06
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Matchday 25 - Quick Round Up

12 Feb 2026 23:32:53
Thanks for the weekly round up Ed. Always look forward to reading these

{Ed001's Note - thanks mate.}

13 Feb 2026 08:17:25
We are still waiting for the Southampton review mate

13 Feb 2026 10:05:11
Livebird0031, stay tuned for the Amazon Prime series.

12 Feb 2026 14:23:47
So two of the next four teams in that run of "winnable" games we have will now be getting the new manager bounce. Really didn't need that.

12 Feb 2026 15:51:18
Think the Forest game is after they've played away to Fenerbahce on the Thursday in the Europa. That should help.

12 Feb 2026 16:42:54
There is zero consistency in what the Reds are serving up under Arne. We have been poor since the Spurs game last season, and the results/stats do not lie.Slotball is dross.

12 Feb 2026 16:48:26
Should still be winnable games.

12 Feb 2026 17:06:11
They'll be tough to break down. I prefer our games in May to these ones.

12 Feb 2026 19:22:20
I am old enough to remember our last winnable run of games, way back in December 2025.

12 Feb 2026 22:39:17
We will win at least 3 of our next four games.

13 Feb 2026 10:07:47
Respectfully, I don't care about games that are "winnable" on paper when this team has been a shambles in other "winnable" games, like Leeds (twice), Burnley, B'mouth, and Sunderland. Sorry, I can't take that rhetoric seriously.

12 Feb 2026 10:47:36
I'm really hoping this team turns a corner based on last nights result. There's been a few false dawns of late, but (late collapse against City aside) that's 3 wins in the last 4 and, Alisson mistake aside, you get a point out that City match.

I still get incredibly frustrated with the constant dropping off after scoring a goal. This must be a tactical instruction as it's been happening constantly, it has been routinely stinging us all season - I thought it would yet again last night. Thankfully I was wrong.

I thought the spine of the team last night played well however Gakpo and Salah are still struggling. The final action on both wings is just miles away from what it should be. Summer two wingers are a must, Diomande from Leipzig looks an absolute superstar in the making, he toyed with Bayern yesterday. In my opinion we badly lack a dynamic winger who can take players on. It would open a new facet to our game and likely free up Wirtz and Ekitike even more.

Wirtz is starting to play really well, Ekitike looks tired but he is always a thorn in the side of defenders. A rest this weekend in the FA cup would be a good decision.

I think we may have just enough to get into the UCL this season, finally some players are turning up. Next season a new winger (at least), combative midfielder and a new RB would really aid this team.

Thoughts Eds on Liverpool's fortunes going forwards?

12 Feb 2026 11:07:26
Definitely agree on the wingers..

12 Feb 2026 11:11:07
It's going to be a dogfight to get CL qualification via the league.I think a lot of focus is going into the CL knockout stages.

12 Feb 2026 11:33:42
And remember Ron, United have one game a week, and with us trying to win the CL as best as we can, it will take a lot out of us.

{Ed025's Note - they are playing football for 90 minutes Oli, not digging trenches for 8 hours a day mate.. :)

12 Feb 2026 11:47:16
We've turned more corners than the labyrinth cast.

12 Feb 2026 11:51:57
Add a CB or two to that list.

12 Feb 2026 12:46:36
A replacement for Mo must be found, as he nears the end of his illustrious career. He, for sure, will go to Saudi in the summer. Who wouldn't secure the future of his family? Treble his wages must be mad to turn that down, but, in all fairness, he is not firing on all cylinders.

He is more of a passenger. Any chance he can take Gakpo with him, and with that incoming money purchase Elise from Bayern, but would he want to return to the Premier League?

{Ed025's Note - i dont think Mo needs to secure his future by going to Saudi Hunter the guy is a multi multi multi millionaire mate, and if he does need a bit more he could always get a paper round in the middle east.. :)

12 Feb 2026 12:49:16
I agree on most of that, MonkeyMad. Jacquet is a good start to replace Konate, but I really want us to go and get Wharton and Diomande to replace Salah and Mac Allister. I think that would transform our team, as they're the 3 weak links in our best 11, in my opinion. From a squad perspective, I'd also look at Mingueza to replace Robertson because he's very versatile and can play LB, CB and RB, which will be a huge boost whilst we wait for Bradley's return and also Leoni to fully recover. On top of that, I'd also take a punt on Matheus Mane to replace Gakpo, as although he isn't like for like, he looks a real future star and helps the HG quota long term.

I also think Alisson will go, with Mamardashvili waiting patiently and Ali expressing a desire to return to Brazil. Lastly, I'd like to see Jaros, Stephenson, Nyoni and Rio get plenty of chances next season. They can help to replace the likes of Ramsay, Endo and Chiesa, who barely play anyway. Stephenson especially looked to be very good at both CB and RB last pre-season and is having another exceptional loan spell. I think he could be our very own Wes Brown/Nacho. You need a versatile clubman like that, in my opinion. Jaros, I think, could provide genuine competition for Mamardashvili. He might even be the better prospect.

12 Feb 2026 12:57:03
Hunter64, Salah is a club legend and deserves to go out on his own terms. I think the best move for him and the club is that he leaves in the summer, and no doubt Saudi will come kicking for our Egyptian King! This "secure kids" future rhetoric is a load of crap. He has been earning millions a year since he signed for the club, you don't think their futures are already secure? We're not talking about your typical 9-5 jobber here, we are talking about millionaires.

If he wants to go to Saudi and earn unimaginable sums of money, that is his choice, but let's not pretend he isn't already a superstar with significant wealth.

12 Feb 2026 13:04:25
I don't think Salah will go to Saudi. I think Turkey, or maybe even the MLS, are far more likely. My only reasoning for this is that they'd be better places for him to raise his family, and that seems to be a huge priority for him. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce would both take him in a heartbeat, and he'd be a huge coup for Turkish football.

Inter Miami might fancy a punt on Salah too, though, with Suarez (39), Messi (38), Busquets (37), etc, all getting on a bit. They may be on the lookout for a new global icon. I'm not ITK, I'm just putting 2 and 2 together, but probably getting 5.

12 Feb 2026 13:09:03
I thought Salah ran his socks off yesterday and had an okay game overall. I don't know what people were watching calling him a passenger! Absolute nonsense, maybe not his usual standard, but passenger means he is just stood there, which is simply not true.

12 Feb 2026 13:12:13
Arne Slot should be giving a lot more minutes to Chiesa and Rio at the moment. Gakpo and Salah offer very little right now and are getting full minutes (in the case of Salah).

12 Feb 2026 13:35:16
Here we go. We labour to a win against a newly promoted side who looked knackered and didn't create much, and suddenly the corner is turned. I think this is the twentieth time this season.

12 Feb 2026 13:38:16
Still need a senior cb too

12 Feb 2026 13:59:23
Definitely not turned a corner, Frode, but they got a draw at our place 2 months back, and they were unbeaten at home, so I take the positives from that.

12 Feb 2026 14:11:16
About right, Frode.

12 Feb 2026 14:27:35
Barnesy87, what about Jacquet? We've not spent £60m on him to sit on the bench, surely? I very much expect him to be starting next season alongside Virgil. We'd then have Leoni and Gomez as the senior back ups, which is admittedly quite a risk, with one just back from an ACL and the other serially injured. With that in mind, I'm certainly not against replacing Gomez as well, but will he actually leave? He seems to be linked away every summer, and every time we don't get an acceptable offer. His contract expires in June 2027, and to be honest with you, he'll probably just leave for free then.

We have a buy back clause for Quansah, which can be activated from July 2027. Maybe not a coincidence? All this is why I think a player like Mingueza, who is more than adept as a CB but can also play multiple other positions (primarily RB), is the best option to improve the CB depth. Then we look to re-sign Quansah summer 2027 and maybe put Virgil on a 1 year rolling deal, to be Sami Hyypia style 4th choice figure head.

12 Feb 2026 14:33:03
Surely Sunderland couldn't have been more knackered than us lads, what with our lack of fitness n all.

12 Feb 2026 14:52:39
Don't you know Florian, every single team in the world is fitter than us until the incredibly rare occasion that they're not, just like every half decent team has us figured out, but every now and then, out of purely good fortune, we stumble upon one that plays into our hands.

12 Feb 2026 15:09:48
Not sure about turning a corner with this team, but last night we played better, more togetherness, a bit more fight. We still lack the bravery n confidence to either finish the game off or hold on to a lead, but last night was undoubtedly better than lately. But its got to continue in every game. I just hope we do.

12 Feb 2026 15:14:07
The post-goal drop off is always weird. It's like there is an instruction to just protect the lead for a few mins, but it just ends up as an epic fail. It always feels like we aren't being coached to the players' strengths, which is to attack mainly.

12 Feb 2026 15:15:31
Not sure about fitness, but good to see the lads weren't grieving on a Wednesday night.

12 Feb 2026 15:25:59
I do think that the team lacks physical and mental fitness generally, and it doesn't help that we are particularly hamstrung with injuries, which means that Slot doesn't have a wealth of options once the 70-minute mark comes up. Against City, we were going man for man, and legs and minds were tired at the close of the game. That's just normal, and any team would start to tire at that point.

Madness that we didn't get reinforcements in January, just so we can keep the quality and intensity levels up late in the game. I still think that is a completely unacceptable decision from Hughes and Edwards. Having somebody like Geertruida there to fill in at right back so Dom can play in the center of the park would make such a difference for us.

12 Feb 2026 15:31:47
Flip back pre season, and the gloating that we had boss forwards, with not one person doubting the signings and existing players on the front line. Now, people are wanting more, suggesting players are tired, etc, and have suddenly become bad players. Unbelievable.

12 Feb 2026 18:51:06
I think it was Bob Paisley who said in an interview, "defending starts by attacking." In his Liverpool side, his first defender was Ian Rush.

12 Feb 2026 20:08:29
I thought we were a reasonable 7 out of 10 against Sunderland. One of our better performances in the league this season. We got the three points, which nobody else had done at their place this season, and, once again, Wirtz showed up well. I think the performances are getting better (not hard to do, really), and I think the win seemed a bit different - a bit more solid or assured, for want of a better word.

Hopefully, confidence levels (at least in the squad) get a bit of a boost. Totally unrelated, but congratulations to Millie on equaling Gareth Barry's PL appearance record.

12 Feb 2026 20:29:36
Well, if Hugo pressed like Rush instead of jogging, maybe we could play like Paisley's side.

13 Feb 2026 01:36:47
@Florian, have another read at what you just wrote and, like me, have a little laugh too. @Frode, totally agree, people harping on about turning corners all season - it's pathetic, although it seems to happen mostly when we win, eh?

13 Feb 2026 10:09:41
You're prolly right. Everton have been playing one game a week for 20 years, and they are still, well, Neverton.

13 Feb 2026 18:58:10
Wdw, mind you, Florian and another few on here were gloating when we'd gone on an unbeaten run, despite us drawing most of them against dross opposition and still condemning us to sixth.

12 Feb 2026
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled,

Click picture for larger image

12 Feb 2026 08:57:57
Is 'her' name Callie Ramsay? Honestly think that kid will try anything at this point to get a game.

12 Feb 2026 09:21:49
Ha! That made me guffaw MK.

12 Feb 2026 09:23:56
A bald fraud of a manager that's who.

12 Feb 2026 10:19:24
Classy.

12 Feb 2026 10:19:24
Classy..

12 Feb 2026 10:24:18
You truly are the definition of a "supporter", Frode. YNWA and all that, eh?

12 Feb 2026 10:48:08
Maybe that's why Slot flies back to Holland so much.

12 Feb 2026 11:28:10
What is this weird notion that you can't support a club and still don't believe in the manager? All the evidence is there that he is actively hurting the club: alienating players, outing youngsters in the media, etc.

YNWA goes a long way, but surely it isn't absolute in the sense that, as a fan, you should just bend over and support everything associated with the club. My opinion, at least.

12 Feb 2026 11:35:26
"What is this weird notion that you can't support a club and still don't believe in the manager?" @DAN, that notion is called nuance, or lack thereof.

12 Feb 2026 11:37:28
"Not believing in" vs "relentlessly abusing on SM". Where is the dividing line? Not for me to say, but it feels like it's crossed by some posts.

12 Feb 2026 11:48:12
Come in and ride back. I'm here all week.

12 Feb 2026 13:06:50
It certainly does, Ron. Can't see why posters can't voice their concerns without getting personal. Not necessary at all.

12 Feb 2026 13:15:30
I can't believe a fellow fan calling the manager a fraud has triggered so many of you. Jesus, get a grip, it's a banter site. Occasionally, people might say things you don't like.

12 Feb 2026 13:44:42
I support Liverpool, not Arne Slot, and I want the best for Liverpool, and currently that's not him.

12 Feb 2026 14:35:21
We all support LFC, Frode. Doing it with a bit of class doesn't hurt.

12 Feb 2026 15:06:52
FM if you stop posting when Slot gets the sack I'll be convinced you're Slot! If you are, do the right thing and bugger off you bald fraud ;)

12 Feb 2026 19:12:21
I agree with Frode.

12 Feb 2026 08:43:33
Decision-making by our attackers was very poor. Constantly choosing/ making the wrong pass.

12 Feb 2026 09:08:58
That's training issue.
Practicing in-game situations on the training fields will, improve decision making.

I've said it before, we look lost when we go on moat counters as we don't know what to do with the ball and when to do it.

12 Feb 2026 10:22:22
If only the players stopped playing tiddly winks all day at Kirkby..

12 Feb 2026 10:29:01
A moat would protect the defense better than our midfield.

12 Feb 2026 11:38:36
Spot on, JLC. That is a training issue, I think, as well. This was the same issue that killed us late on in the 23/24 season, when it looked like our forwards would try to score the perfect goal by passing the ball aimlessly rather than just pull the trigger.

Again, that is a training issue, with the players being drilled to not lose the ball even in front of goal, come hell or high water.

12 Feb 2026 12:44:37
There seems to be a lot of UEFA A coaches on here. I never realised.

12 Feb 2026 13:27:22
I'm actually amazed most of the posters on here aren't working their way up the football pyramid. I would love one day to sit and watch a Premier League game and think i actually know more than the managers on the sidelines.

12 Feb 2026 15:09:59
I know more than Arne Slot. I used to win the league with Liverpool constantly on Footy Manager back in the day. Surely that counts? :)

12 Feb 2026 16:26:17
Salah, if, or when, Slot does go, I want you to take charge, mate! However, are you willing to give up your place in Lombardy?!

12 Feb 2026 16:57:55
I'm sorry to disappoint, Rome. I know you'd love me as manager, mate, but I've been waiting far too long for Lombardy to call my name. On this occasion, I'd have to politely turn down FSG, albeit with a heavy heart and a touch of regret.

It's frustrating, I must admit, because with the tactics I used to dominate on Footy Manager, I know I could turn the doubters into believers again - 100%, no question. ?

12 Feb 2026 22:16:11
Jesus, some of the posters here get serious butt hurt when someone calls out obvious issues with the current training the players are being put through.

13 Feb 2026 03:36:08
How are split-second decisions made within the context of a game down to training sessions before the match actually happens? Are you saying that training sessions should cover every possible scenario theoretically possible before the game? Training sessions would be pretty interesting and quite long.

13 Feb 2026 10:18:40
WDW, ever heard of managers over-drilling and over-training players to make them look like robots and unable to think for themselves? Clearly not. And yes, it takes long training sessions to accomplish.

12 Feb 2026 08:14:49
Ed001 what did you think about last nights performance ed. I thought same as for a long time out press still looked so disjointed instead of the team pressing most of the time it just seems one or if we are lucky two players what obviously makes it easy for team to get out.
I do think that the good point in this Ed that this is coaching thing and hopefully we somehow make champions league next season and as Carra Fields and Robbo have stuck by that Alonso will be here next season and we get this sorted.


I know it's not a nice thing to say but I hope we go out of the fa cup Ed as I don't think we are winning it with the way we are playing and the rest we can get without the games will hopefully help us try to push for top 4/ 5.

{Ed001's Note - it was a win and that is good but the performance was not good. Luckily Sunderland looked knackered and struggled to produce anything, so we were able to get control of the game and won with ease really.}

12 Feb 2026 08:49:35
Yeah it feels like we are limping to the end of the season. Just hope that a few of our players can find so form and carry us to the top 4/ 5. Because failure to make champions league next season Ed am sure will have a massive effect especially if we end up with Thursday night football.

{Ed001's Note - we should easily make UCL places, Slot is making hard work of it though.}

12 Feb 2026 08:52:24
We can win the FA Cup, and the longer we stay in it people will see more of the youth like they've wanted.

12 Feb 2026 08:56:08
I'm glad you said that Ed001, I've been reading the Discussion and Match post pages this morning and wondering if I watched a different game. I thought Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Gakpo, Salah and Ekitike were embarrassing to be quite honest. To such an extent I felt sorry for Wirtz as he seemed the only player in our front 6 capable of trapping a football and playing an accurate pass. Even Jones and Chiesa did more in about 15 minutes than Gakpo and Ekitike did all game. No idea why Morrison wasn't put on for Salah because the frequency that Mo was giving up possession would've cost us the game on another day. If he really didn't want to trust a kid I'd have even put Chiesa RW and stuck Kerkez on at LW. I know he'll walk away with an assist but my god Salah was a liability on that pitch last night.

What I would say is I think our defence was superb. I was a bit worried about Endo and Robbo as full backs but they both showed a lot of heart and character to come in from the cold and play really well. Gomez was also very good when he came on. Virgil and Konate though were absolutely impeccable and I cannot fault their performances at all. Brobbey is a real handful as well and they matched his physicality blow for blow.

12 Feb 2026 09:24:20
VVD got the MOTM but i thought it should have gone to Wirtz or Robbo.

{Ed001's Note - certainly shouldn't have gone to Virgil, he wasn't even the best of the central defenders yesterday.}

12 Feb 2026 09:43:12
When you look at the next 8 games for us, Mancs, and Chelski, there could hopefully be some daylight between us in our favour. The Mancs have a difficult run, in particular. Here's hoping! I don't think that bloke will be getting his haircut anytime soon.

12 Feb 2026 09:43:12
When you look at the next 8 games for us, Mancs, and Chelski, there could hopefully be some daylight between us in our favour. The Mancs have a difficult run, in particular. Here's hoping! I don't think that bloke will be getting his haircut anytime soon.

Post Deleted (see Eds Note below)

12 Feb 2026 10:30:01
Yeah, I thought Wirtz was our best player last night. VVV only got man of the match because he scored, seems a lazy choice by the pundits. I thought Sunderland made things easy for us last night and ceded control of the game.

I would love to see Chiesa start some games over Gakpo and see how that changes the dynamic in the forward line. I think it was a good win, but we made it harder for ourselves than it needed to be.

12 Feb 2026 10:55:35
Certainly not a perfect performance, but we put a shift in and got a win on a cold Wednesday night in the North East. Positives - 3 points in a difficult game, took the opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea and United, Ibou played really well, Mo ran his socks off all game, Wirtz is so good to watch, and Alisson seemed to lead from the back after that dodgy performance vs City. Salah's pretty good at taking corners, it seems. Only took a decade to find that out. And, whisper it quietly, we might be getting slightly more competent at set pieces.

Negatives - poor Endo. Wish him the best in his recovery. Ekitike was knackered again by 70 mins! When he skipped past Ballard in the second half, it was almost like he regretted it as his legs decided, no thanks. And yet, we waited too long to change him. Macca, though slightly better overall, was still looking for free kicks and gave the ball away too often in the closing 15 mins. Gravenberch was just terrible. How is Curtis not getting in ahead of him at the moment? Gakpo, like Macca, slightly better than the previous game, but still pretty awful.

12 Feb 2026 11:42:41
FlyPelicanFly, I saw the Endo injury, and I winced, the same way I did with Bradley. As someone who suffered a very serious knee injury many years ago (with no soul around me) and still suffer its effects till this day, you start to recognize these things. It looked really bad. Hope he recovers well.

12 Feb 2026 13:48:14
Florian, "the longer we stay in the FA Cup, the more we will see youth play" literally makes no sense, and it's typically the other way around. The further you go in a competition, the more the senior players are introduced to cement your chance of winning.

12 Feb 2026 15:58:09
Not us, Frode, we'd have a better chance with Trey and Rio playing.

12 Feb 2026 07:42:58
Forest up next in the league and Dyche just been sacked so not sure if a good thing or not.

Post Deleted (see Eds Note below)

12 Feb 2026 10:33:43
There is plenty of time to prepare, plus there should be some rotation for the cup. We should be fired up after getting beat by them at Anfield.

12 Feb 2026 11:43:40
We should be, EM. I always wait and see what we do because the false dawns are too much to count already.

12 Feb 2026 07:41:17
Wirtz = Very good last night
Defence inc. Endo also very good sorry to see Endo injured he could have added great value for the remainder of the season and we now have to rely on Joe staying fit which is unlikely hey
Gakpo and Salah both poor again
Ekitike = No service.

12 Feb 2026 08:48:54
If we still had Peter Crouch up top he would have got on the end of Endo's crosses.

I don't think I've ever seen crosses that high in fairness to him.

12 Feb 2026 08:49:31
On Ekitike lads been class but has to at least hit the target last night with that header.

12 Feb 2026 09:03:45
Hugo had a poor game in my opinion. He wasn't great against City. Looks like he needs a rest.

12 Feb 2026 09:47:21
Prob does need a rest, Ron. He is the only forward that has turned up all season.

12 Feb 2026 09:47:21
Prob does need a rest, Ron. He is the only forward that has turned up all season.

Post Deleted (see Eds Note below)

12 Feb 2026 09:54:35
The issue with Ekitike is, and it's not his fault, when we go long to him, there's a real lack of movement elsewhere to give him options, so he has to slow and delay, waiting for support. By the time he has it, the opposition is set in defensive positions.

12 Feb 2026 10:00:42
Needs a rest? They have just had three days off!

12 Feb 2026 10:01:58
The only major flaw in Ekitike's game is his heading. The amount of easy headers he has missed all season is shocking. However, I once read how Rooney said that, by practising dedicatedly on his heading for a few months, he was able to improve it from one of his weaknesses to one of his strengths. I hope Hugo can work on it in the summer. If he does get a hang of it, he will be the complete forward.

12 Feb 2026 09:54:35
The issue with Ekitike is, and it's not his fault, when we go long to him, there's a real lack of movement elsewhere to give him options, so he has to slow and delay, waiting for support. By the time he has it, the opposition is set in defensive positions.

12 Feb 2026 10:00:42
Needs a rest? They have just had three days off!

12 Feb 2026 10:01:58
The only major flaw in Ekitike's game is his heading. The amount of easy headers he has missed all season is shocking. However, I once read how Rooney said that, by practising dedicatedly on his heading for a few months, he was able to improve it from one of his weaknesses to one of his strengths.

I hope Hugo can work on it in the summer. If he does get a hang of it, he will be the complete forward.

12 Feb 2026 06:40:36
Unbeaten at 1.

The longest journey starts with the 1st step.

{Ed078's Note - ?

12 Feb 2026 07:07:30
1 AM?

{Ed078's Note - sorry, get it. Just thought you were making a cryptic point that I was missing.

12 Feb 2026 07:17:43
Only disappointment last night is our wingers look like ringers, both look like completely different players from last season.

12 Feb 2026 07:44:49
I'm not getting my hair cut until we've won one game in a row ah! Ok, job done!

12 Feb 2026 09:12:00
Really Ed.?

We need to win all our games for the rest of the season to guarantee CL football. Just in case by some miracle we actually fail to win it this year of course.

And this was the 1st step in that journey ?.

12 Feb 2026 06:08:06
One for the banter page.

Im sure this must've come up before but is anyone else seeing flashes of Brendon Rodgers when Arne Slot speaks?

Its all management speak.

Very David Brent.

12 Feb 2026 07:08:19
Oh God please don't say that ?‍♂️.

12 Feb 2026 07:12:25
Slot looks like a man that has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Last season I really really enjoyed his press conferences and interviews but last nights post match one I actually felt a little sorry for the guy.

12 Feb 2026 07:37:24
If Carra is right and he knows that he is gone at the end of the season then its going to affect him, there aren't many better jobs in world football.

12 Feb 2026 08:56:48
Nah not really. Slot has been the same since he came. Pretty blunt, direct and honest.

12 Feb 2026 09:06:21
If he knew he was gone he'd be demob happy and say what he wants.
He's feeling the pressure because he probably thinks his job relies on CL qualification and it's now very tight.

12 Feb 2026 09:52:00
He knows he is working a notice, as Carra said, but the club will still have set him targets with incentives.
Top 5 = 1m bonus, as an example, maybe.
It's something like this, as they won't just bluntly tell him, "That's it, Arne. At the end of the season we are bringing in the guy we really wanted before appointing you!"
That would simply demotivate Arne and the entire squad. I still have a feeling we are getting to at least the semis of the CL, yanno.

12 Feb 2026 09:52:00
He knows he is working a notice, as Carra said, but the club will still have set him targets with incentives. Top 5 = 1m bonus, as an example, maybe. It's something like this, as they won't just bluntly tell him, "That's it, Arne.

At the end of the season we are bringing in the guy we really wanted before appointing you!" That would simply demotivate Arne and the entire squad. I still have a feeling we are getting to at least the semis of the CL, yanno.

12 Feb 2026 10:28:04
That'd be 1 million on top of his payoff as well? Lets face it, the man is going to make an absolute fortune over the duration of his managerial career. I doubt he would give a toss about where we finish if he was told he's working out his notice.

12 Feb 2026 11:46:53
Indeed, EM? BR started talking like Slot does now, or of late, because he knew he was gone, and it was just a matter of time and of the club finding his replacement.If Carra is right, then Slot is out in the summer, roundtable be damned.